Suit by Agnès b.
Top by KYLE'LYK
Flower Pin by Kat and Clarese at The Confessional Showroom

Sean Kaufman, an accomplished young actor, is best known for his role in the hit Amazon Prime Video series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and his recurring guest star role on NBC’s “Manifest.” While studying at Purchase College’s Acting Conservatory for four years, he landed the role of Steven in “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” the protective older brother to Belly, a teenage girl who one summer finds herself in a love triangle with two brothers. Based on the Jenny Han novel of the same name, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” became the No. 1 show on Prime Video during its premiere weekend. You can watch Sean Kaufman as Steven in the second season launching on July 14th with new episodes following throughout August.

**Left:**
Suit by Agnès b.
Top by KYLE'LYK
Flower Pin by Kat and Clarese at The Confessional Showroom
Boots by Dr. Martens
**Right:**
Sweater and Jumpsuit by KYLE'LYK
Boots by Dr. Martens
Rings by Talent’s own

How did you get into acting and what attracted you to it?
Funny enough, a girl got me into acting. I had always liked acting as a child but never in a serious way, until around middle school when I found out that the girl I had a crush on was going to audition for the school musical that year. As a foolish and overzealous young boy, I decided in my head that the best way to spend time and get close with her would be to audition for the musical myself in hopes of getting in. I ended up getting one of the lead roles in the musical and the more rehearsals we ended up doing, the more my love for the craft started to emerge and I quickly realized this is something I very much enjoy. The girl and I unfortunately never worked out.

When did you know you wanted to become an actor?
Sometime in my college years. I actually studied at the Acting Conservatory at Purchase College, and it was there that my passion started to take shape. I was taking classes every day, constantly rehearsing or studying, putting in at least 15 hours of work every day at minimum, and through all of that never once did I not love it. I got tired, and frustrated. I got melancholic and felt like I wanted to give up at times, but through it all, I always loved it. It was in those moments I realized that acting is not something I simply want but must have.

How was your journey to becoming a working actor?
Am I even there yet? I don’t know. It’s been pretty tough, but I have no right to complain as I have been extremely lucky. Right out of high school, I booked a guest star role on “Manifest” and a co-star role on “Law and Order: SVU” in back to back auditions, which was super exciting and those being my first two professional gigs made me think I was bound to skyrocket, that the world was about to watch a star be born! And then I didn’t book for three more years. Luckily I was in school, but I can’t tell you how demoralizing it is to not see the success even when you know the work ethic is there. My path is nothing new, and I am only saying the same thing 99.9% of actors go through but when there’s nothing coming in, it’s easy to feel bad about yourself and your ability. Even after the wonderful success of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” I still have so much doubt about getting the next role, the next project. I don’t know what my journey has been, as I think I’m still much in it.

How did you balance studying at Purchase College while also working as an actor?
I lied a lot. Auditioning and working while at school is a big no-no in most conservatories, so in order to do all that, I would have to constantly lie and sneak around. I have countless stories of doing auditions with no reader at 4 a.m. before a full day of classes, getting caught at the train stop by a teacher whose class I just skipped on the way back from an audition, running during intermissions of shows to do a chemistry read on Zoom. I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by great friends in my life, and it was their help and belief that got me through a lot of long nights and early mornings, a lot of memorizing lines and lying about where I was to teachers. A lot of trust was placed into me that helped push me forward to graduation and wrapping the first season at the same time.

**Left:**
Sweater and Jumpsuit by KYLE'LYK
Boots by Dr. Martens
Rings by Talent’s own
**Right:**
Outfit by KYLE'LYK
Boots by Dr. Martens

Tell us about your character Steven in “The Summer I Turned Pretty?”
Steven is the snarky, over-the-top, big hearted, overprotective big brother to Belly Conklin. He is somebody who is not afraid to take risks, to sneak out at night, to go crash his sister's date, or to do a slide dance across the floor of a debutante ball. He leads with his heart and it shows in all of his relationships. In his unwavering love for his younger sister (which he shows in the only way big brothers know how) in his admiration for the Fisher boys, and even in his relationships. He loves being in control and when he’s not he loves trying to help out as much as possible, even if it goes unnoticed. The firstseason showed a beautiful growth for Steven from worried and stressed, whether about money or making the right choice, to finally understanding things will be alright. The second season shows a lot of new growth for Steven as he finds himself in positions he normally isn’t in, so I’m excited for everybody to witness it.

What similarities or differences do you find between yourself and your character, Steven, in “The Summer I Turned Pretty?”
I know the one thing I took as an actor immediately into the character was the comparison between Belly and Steven and the relationship I have with my own younger sister. It’s easy to understand that telling your sister to “shut up” actually means “I love you” when you used to do it in real life. Another thing I tried to incorporate with Steven was how nothing even has time to reach his brain before it comes out of his mouth. I do the same thing personally and it felt like the right choice for a bold, 17-year-old kid. As for differences, some of the decisions Steven made throughout the first season were definitely stuff I wouldn’t condone. Sometimes he would be asking for trouble and other times trouble would just fall upon him, but either way, he made some dumb decisions throughout that summer. Decisions that are pretty normal when you think about him being a 17-year-old kid, but looking back at it you can’t help but shake your head.

What was it like working with the cast of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” cast?
The best. Every single person on the cast was a joy to work with. Aside from the tremendous amount of talent each person in the cast possesses, just how cool and awesome they were in real life was enough to draw me close to them. Every day on set was such a blast, and on some days I forgot I was working entirely, they just made it that fun. I consider them to be my best friends.

How was your experience acting in NBC’s “Manifest” and how will that experience help you with your acting in the future?
That was my first ever “real” acting job, and I think it prepared me for a lot. It wasn’t all that challenging and I didn’t have any heavy emotional scenes, but being on a set for the first-time was so nerve-wracking and it’s like nothing anyone can prepare you for. I was lucky that the cast was extremely kind and talked to me the whole time to help ease my nerves but I’m forever thankful for that opportunity because it showed me just how a set works, from how fast it is, how you really only get two-three tries at it, to how you have to show up ready to work because you don’t get any rehearsals and they might just throw you in there twenty seconds after you show up to set. This industry is crazy, and I know everybody (including myself) wants their first role to be an Oscar award-winning performance, but a lot of the time, it’s really nice just to dip your toes in the water to feel out the temperature before cannon-balling in it.

Sweater and Jumpsuit by KYLE'LYK
Boots by Dr. Martens
Rings by Talent’s own

What advice would you give a person who wants to start working in the entertainment Industry?
Make sure you more than love it, make sure you’d be willing to risk everything for it, and then if it’s still what you want, stick it out. I think in this day and age there’s a lot put towards instant gratification, and in terms of this industry, that’s just not the case. You must be willing to work tirelessly at it, to fall on your face and fail over and over again, you must be willing to doubt everything about yourself and your integrity and still show up the next day wanting nothing else. There’s a quote from Tim Notke, a high school basketball coach, where he said, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” You must work hard, and then keep doing it, for years.

Which actor inspires you the most and who would you like to work with in the future?Steven Yuen. I feel like I bring him up in every interview I do, but he was the first ever face that looked like mine and made me realize subconsciously, that acting is not out of the realm of possibility for someone who looks like me. He’s also incredibly talented, and his body of work and what projects he chooses are outstanding. He inspires me to do more. As for actors I’d like to work with, the list goes on and on. Obviously Steven, but then probably Andrew Scott, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Jack O’Connell, and Barry Keoghan. All of whom I think are the best in the industry and who continue to choose projects that further humans in the art of storytelling.

What do you enjoy most about being an actor?
I don’t know. I spent a lot of time trying to pinpoint the exact feeling I get while acting, or what makes me feel it, and every time I can’t. All I know is that I enjoy it to no end, but I have no idea why. I have no idea why I love it; I just can’t stop. So maybe that’s what I enjoy most about it, that it’s excitingly addicting. Actually, no I was wrong. I just thought of the answer. I enjoy pushing stories that need to be told. I enjoy furthering creativity and always pushing the boundaries of what is an actor, and what is art. Storytelling is a centuries old gift and to be able to put a hand on the torch while it passes along is invigorating. Yea... I think that the second one is right.

What is the biggest challenge in being an actor?
The constant doubt about everything. If anybody says they know what they’re doing, they’re lying to you. Nobody knows, and that’s so frustrating. It is such a challenge to think of yourself as more than a pile of garbage at times, just as it is also a challenge to take yourself off of that pedestal you put yourself on sometimes. An old acting teacher used to tell me that “every actor should think about quitting three times a day.” And it used to confuse me, why would anybody want to quit this? But then as you get thrown into the fire you realize it’s really hot. I think about not being good enough right now, the possibility of never being good enough, all the no’s I’ve ever received, the empty future, I think about everything that could possibly lead me to quit. And then I don’t do it. But I think about it.

What would you be if you weren’t an actor?
I don’t know. Dead? Probably something in the arts still, I can’t ever seem to get away from them. Even in my free time I love to write and I’ve actually started to work on my first ever play. It’s a crazy adventure to go through, to put yourself on the other side of the process I’ve been a part of for so many years. I applaud all writers because it’s hard to not only have ideas but to trust your voice as THE storytelling device and also trusting people care enough to listen. It’s given me a lot of time to reflect and also a lot of interesting notes to take into my acting. I suggest all actors do something else with their free time, pick up a hobby, start writing, play golf, start running, train to beat Joey Chestnut in the 2024 hot dog eating championship. Whatever it is, it’s important to remember your self-worth and who you as an individual doesn’t come from your work, let alone your acting, so keep your mind and body busy doing other things so you don’t drive yourself up a wall all the time.

Where do you want to see yourself in the next five years?
At the Oscars after party, trying to drink out of my Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. All jokes aside, I don’t know. The more realistic thing to say would probably be still working and surviving, but you better believe I’m gonna shoot for the stars, why the hell not? If I don’t think I’m going to make it there someday, nobody else will, so I will support myself with dreams and goals every day. I will also always ground myself, but never enough to stomp out the fire.

Social Media.
Instagram: @sean.kauf

CREW CREDITS:
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz + @mikeruiz.one
Photographer: Michael Creagh
Talent: Sean Kaufman
Fashion Stylist: Alison Hernon at Exclusive Artists
Groomer: Laila Hayani at Forward Artists
Assistant Fashion Stylist: Sienna Ropert
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Mariana Apostolatos, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine